TOP TEN MOVIES I LIKE TO WATCH WHEN I NEED A BREAK FROM THE WORLD

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event created and hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and MAN, this week’s topic was so well-timed. It’s a movie freebie, and considering everything that’s been going on in the world of late, I’ve decided to give you guys a list of movies I like to watch when the world is being #3hectic5me.

I’m not much of a movie watcher in general (TV is more my speed) in the sense that I’ll watch movies, but I’ll be very picky about which movies I watch, and I’ll watch em in my own time. So this list isn’t going to be a list of my favorite movies. Some of my faves are either dark, old, or heavy (sometimes all three), but it’s a list of the light ones. You know, the ones that’ll never fail to cheer me up a tad.

ON TO THE LIST!

1. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005)

I would’ve used a screencap of the rain scene, but i don’t think my ovaries would have survived

Just like it’s one of my all-time favorite books, P&P (2005) is one of my all-time favorite movies. I first watched it in 2010, when I was studying the book for my O/Ls, and I have watched it 31 times since. It’s just… SO GOOD, okay? I love everything about this movie. The cinematography, the scenery, the acting, Lizzie Bennet’s sass, Matthew Macfadyen’s face… EVERYTHING. And sure, maybe my passionate love for this movie has something to do with the fact that Dizzie is one of my biggest OTPs, but goddammit I love this movie and if I’m having a bad day, it’s definitely my go-to pick-me-up movie.

DIZZIE FOR LIFE.

2. FLIPPED

Ah, Julie Baker and Bryce Loski. My precious children. They must be protected at all costs.

Flipped is the delightful, I repeat, DELIGHTFUL, story of Julianna Baker and Bryce Loski, and how young love can be complicated as heck. I watched the movie before I read the book, and I can assuredly tell you that they’re both incredibly sweet, and profound despite the light subject matter. Julie Baker is the kind of heroine we need to see more in coming-of-age movies and middle-grade books. Bryce Loski is a wonderful example of good, believable character growth and self-betterment. This is not your average fluffy boy-meets-girl movie. This is a gem. I have watched it 16 times.

3. APPLESEED ALPHA

Look at my precious babies about to kill things. ♥

Appleseed Alpha is a computer-animated cyberpunk Sci-fi prequel based on the Appleseed mangas. It follows Duenan Knute and her cyborg partner Briareos Hecantonchires through the dystopian ruins of NYC, as they search for the fabled Utopian city of Olympus. Appleseed Alpha, funnily enough, was my introduction to the manga series that I love with all my weeb heart. I absolutely love these characters – stubborn, tenacious and strong-willed Duenan; grumpy, stoic, wry Briareos – to bits. I ship em like hell. (I also need more of the manga but that’s not important right now) If you want a good reason to watch this movie, besides the fact that IT’S AWESOME AND LOOKS LIKE A VIDEO GAME, then I have just a few words for you:Dystopian worldBadasseryCYBORGS.
that is all.

4. PLAYING IT COOL

aka the movie where Chris Evans dresses in a sailor costume and RUINS ME FOREVER SOS

Basically, you can substitute this one with just about ANY Chris Evans movie. It doesn’t matter. Just seeing his stupid, cinnamon roll face sends my mood meter to ecstatic. The only reason this movie won the chance to be on the list is because it’s the one where we see Chris:
a) tap dancing
b) in a sailor outfit
c) in cross-dress
d) being a complete moron, but in an adorable way
I mean, sign me up for this party any day of the week, thank you very much.

5. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE

Sometimes I really do feel like Kuzko and I are the same person. I’d make the cutest, rage llama, okay?

Show me someone who says they didn’t like The Emperor’s New Groove, and I’ll show you a STINKIN’ LIAR. The Emperor’s New Groove is , in my not-so-humble opinion, one of the most underrated Disney movies in existence. I mean, come on. Kuzko’s sass, Kronk’s adorable idiocy, Pacha’s wholesomeness and Yzma’s… well, everything?? WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE?

6. SPIRITED AWAY

Forever crying bc I NEED A SEQUEL DAMMIT

If you haven’t watched the Studio Ghibli masterpiece that is Spirited Away, then you have not L I V E D. I shouldn’t even have to explain this one to you. It’s my favorite Ghibli film. It’s adorable, it’s sweet, and its rewatch value is a definitely 12/10. Also, there are dragons in it. And witches. And giant talking babies. !!!

7. TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

Ah, the one time I didn’t aggressively roll my eyes at a Shakespeare thing.

I’m fairly certain I don’t need to sell this one too hard. Young Heath Ledger (♥), snarky, sassy Julia Stiles (why are all my favorite heroines complete sass masters?), baby Joseph Gordon Levitt, dorky David Krumholtz. The cast is amazing. The humor is great. The dialog is A+. And Kat and Patrick are super cute. It’s an adaptation of a Shakespeare play (if you’re into that sort of thing). And if none of these things seem appealing to you, then I’m sure Heath Ledger’s adorable crooked smile might tempt you.

8. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Has anyone noticed how most of the movies on this list have been adapted from works of literature? HAHA.

Two things:
1) Michael Cera
2) in a video-game style movie based on a graphic novel.

Bonus: Chris Evans is in this, too, and his eyebrows are gloriously villainy.

9. MULAN

if you haven’t seen this movie, DISHONOR ON YOUR COW.

I don’t always watch Mulan. Sometimes I choose to watch Beauty and The Beast. Or Aladdin. Or Hercules. But Mulan is usually the one I go to, mostly because I love Mushu’s insanity, and Mulan was a BAMF and I love her.

10. STRANGER THAN FICTION

idek what to write here, but I started captions and DAMMIT I’m going to see this through.

Stranger Than Fiction is not the best movie in the world. It’s a little weird. It’s about a man whose life changes when he wakes up with the ability to hear a disembodied voice narrating his life, telling an unseen audience of his life events just seconds before they happen. So, yeah, weird. But it’s a very cute story about storytelling, relationships, and meta-ness, and I have such a weakness for it. Maybe it’s the fact that Will Farrell’s Harold Crick is such a nice, root-forable character. Maybe it’s Maggie Gyllenhaal’s badass role. Maybe it’s the fact that Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, whom I love, are in it. I don’t know. But I love it.

That’s my list done. Let me know if you’ve watched any of these movies and if how you feel about them. And link me to your TTTs, if you’ve done one. I WANNA TALK MOVIES, YOU GUYS.

Published by Gabrielle

Gabrielle is a smol, enigmatic, hyperactive 20-something snarkypants who writes bios in the third person because she's been told it sounds more professional. She likes to try her hand at many different things, and believes nothing can stop her. She also types in caps. A lot.
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13 thoughts on “TOP TEN MOVIES I LIKE TO WATCH WHEN I NEED A BREAK FROM THE WORLD”

Mulan was amazing!! I LOVE MULAN! And yesss to The Emperor’s New Groove…why is it so underrated?!? It cracks me up every time and I think I can basically quote the whole thing. XD I also really want to see Flipped because the book was so cute. ❤Here’s my TTT!

I cannot even express how much I love some of the movies on your list! TBH, the ones I don’t love, I just haven’t seen, but I’m starting to feel like I need to. That’s my favorite version of P&P also. It’s the first proposal scene that really does it for me. There was so much tension there, even knowing the storyline I thought they were about to deviate and just throw each others clothes of right out in the open.
And I’m a total sucker for Mulan and I can keep going but I don’t think it’s necessary. Great list!

Squee! thank You! And omg, yes. The tension in P&P 2005 is so unreal. Like, I know a lot people tend to prefer the BBC version with Collin Firth, but this was just so good. And the cinematography was stellar. They were a hair away from ripping each others clothes off throughout the entire movie – I agree. Also, that rain scene ♥